• They’re learning. The first basketball game in the new arena didn’t have any of the problems which disrupted the hockey opener a week ago as the seating was almost perfectly placed (they forgot press row and crammed it in late) and concession lines were reasonable, despite some workers’ inability to work cash registers. Almost 13,000 watched Florida’s 59-39 win over Central Florida and the main attraction may have been Gator star Matt Walsh’s Playboy Playmate girlfriend, who was sitting behind the UF bench.
• That party at Old St. Andrew’s during the game? No, it wasn’t a VIP gathering for the game — it was socialite Betsy Lovett’s annual holiday party. It was going before the game started and was rolling along when fans exited the arena.
• Dr. Quenton White of Jacksonville University was called before the Waterways Commission Thursday to help the City untangle manatee safety issues, but another recurring City issue delayed his comments. White arrived late to the Council chambers because he couldn’t find a place to park. “That’s another issue we’re looking into,” said committee chairwoman and City Council member Lynette Self. “I don’t think we’ll solve that one today, though.”
• Dr. White spoke to the Waterways Commission about his research into “Manatee Birthing Areas,” but he struggled to find an acceptable term for the areas where the calves are conceived. Commission member James Bailey suggested “Manatee Cavorting and Frolicking areas.”
• The Gator Bowl is sold out as far as ticketmaster.com is concerned but there are other ways to get a seat — for instance, go to Alltel Stadium Saturday when the Florida Georgia Blood Alliance gives away a pair of tickets to the first 70 people to donate blood between 10 that morning until 3 p.m. Look for the bloodmobile in the parking lot near the East Touchdown Club.
• We left the reader hanging when we trimmed a story about the Victim Services Center in Wednesday’s Daily Record. In the opening paragraphs, Attorney General Janet Reno was talking to a woman whose baby had been shot to death by hoodlums and someone wondered what Reno could say to such a distraught woman. The answer: “After that poor young lady told her story (the person recalled), Janet Reno looked at her and said, ‘I am so sorry. Do you have a picture of your baby?’ She pulled out a picture ... and Janet Reno looked at it a minute. ... And she said, ‘May I have this picture?’ The lady said yes. And Janet said, ‘I have a little place next to my desk on the wall where I have a few pictures. It’s important for people like us to know there are people like you here when we make decisions so we will try to do the best we can.’”
• Lord Mayor John So of Melbourne, Australia wrote Mayor John Peyton asking for help in figuring out solutions to noise pollution. Jacksonville would be part of a world–wide survey about downtown noise issues.
• City jobs must be popular right now. For the position of event logistics specialist with Jacksonville’s Special Events Department, around 200 applications were received. Their HR people are sifting through the huge stack to find qualified applicants.